Doing What Is Right in The Eyes of the Lord
King Ahaz is king of Judah. He is an evil king. He comes into power when he’s twenty years old and reigns for sixteen years. He dies at age thirty-six. His son, Hezekiah, succeeds him.
King Hezekiah, however, it’s not like his father. He’s a good king, doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
King Hezekiah immediately sets out repairing the temple and reforming the worship of the Lord. When he reestablishes the service of the temple, he and the people have a grand celebration to honor God.
He later restores the annual Passover celebration, established centuries earlier by Moses when he led the people out of captivity in Egypt.
King Hezekiah invites all the people of Israel and Judah to come to the temple in Jerusalem to celebrate this significant remembrance of God’s deliverance.
On the fourteenth day of the second month, they slaughter the Passover lamb—which foreshadows Jesus’s sacrificial death on the cross.
Many of the people who celebrated the Passover, however, had not properly consecrated themselves and fall ill as a result.
King Hezekiah intercedes on their behalf, asking the Lord to pardon everyone who sets their hearts on seeking God, even if they weren’t ceremonially clean when they celebrated the Passover. God hears the king’s prayers and heals the people.
The whole assembly agrees to celebrate the festival for seven more days. King Hezekiah provides thousands of animals to the people as part of the celebration.
After the week-long observance is finished, they joyfully celebrate for another seven days.
Scripture notes that there is great joy in Jerusalem, such as had not occurred since the days of King Solomon, King David’s son.
Though there is more to the story of King Hezekiah’s life, today’s reading ends at this point.
What we can see is that the character of our parents does not need to dictate the trajectory of our life. We can rise above their past to live a better life that more fully honors God.
We must, however, also be aware of the opposite. If our parents lived exemplary lives honoring the Lord, we will not be guaranteed to repeat their successes. We are not automatically destined for the same positive outcome they realized.
Each one of us is our own person. It’s left to us to decide which path we want to take, be it for good or for evil.
King Hezekiah didn’t follow the evil legacy of his father. Instead, he set a different course, living a God-honoring life.
We can do the same.
[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is 2 Chronicles 28-30, and today’s post is on 2 Chronicles 29:1-2.]
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
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